Study: Your Weight Affects Your Salary

A new study found that thinner women had fatter paychecks than average-sized or overweight women.

(Photo credit: Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images)

NEW YORK (CBS 2) — In a country plagued by obesity, eating disorders, and the all-too-common pressure to simply look good, a new study finds that your waist size can play a role in your wallet size.

The study, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, shows that skinny women tend to have fatter paychecks than average or overweight women.

The same can’t be said for men, however. Larger men are shown to have larger paychecks than their thinner brethren, according to the study. In fact, as a man’s weight increases, so does his salary — until the point of obesity, when his salary then drops.

The Wall Street Journal reports that in looking at the differences of earnings between men and women of different sizes, the study’s author discovered significant gaps. Women who weighed 25 pounds less than average-sized women in the sampling earned an average of $15,572 more. On the other hand, a woman who weighed 25 pounds more than normal-sized women made $13,847 less than their average counterparts.

Thinner men were just as unfortunate as heavier women, earning $8,437 less than average-sized men.

Holy cow! Most of you folks can’t stay on topic. Making money is like everything else – if you are willing to do what no one else will – you will do fine. The secret to losing weight is simple – eat less and move more. The secret to making more money is to never be satisfied with the current income – keep looking for ways to meet your goals – which leads to the BIGGEST point – have goals.

It is very simple, fat guys have money, often these guys hire thin chicks hoping they can do them, often these chicks are easy and willing to do what it takes to earn more, often the result is higher income.
As for the fat guys, they’re already in a position making good money that made them fat.
Also, if you’re not smart enough, you should be at least good looking… they do pay for it too.

I think the “study” confuses causes and effect. In the case of women, being thin is an obvious advantage since thin women are considered good looking generally, and good looking women are valued (unfairly or not) in the marketplace. So in the case of women, thin-ness is a CAUSE of higher income.

In the case of men, higher income jobs, e.g., management, tend to be more sedentary (as opposed to manual labor), and also, higher pay goes with experience, and “experience” is associated with greater age, which in turn is associated with greater physical weight. So of course in the case of males, there would be an association with higher income, and higher weight. This would be an EFFECT.

Any decent scientist or statistician would have statistically corrected for such variables, or at least attempted to, but it appears that the authors of this study are pure hacks that have taken the data and trumpeted it without thinking it through.

Men get larger as they get older. It makes sense that as they increase their work experience (get older) they would make more. That does not surprise me at all.

The women on the other hand is a different issue. Perhaps it’s because society is much more strict about a woman’s looks. So, the same type of mindset that is a “go getter” in the business world also sees being overweight as unacceptable… and has the motivation and discipline to do something about it. But that is just a guess.

in reviewing the comments given – we are all to quick to cut people down, rather than discuss an issue.
there is bias in almost everything when we let ourselves run rampant with smart remarks and criticisms instead of put our heads together to come up with some sort of solution or at least a step in the right direction.

Another concern: don’t fat people affect climate change? More CO2, more methane and other toxic gases. Since most of them live in DC, it’s possible that their combined weight is shifting the planetary orbit.

Rep. Hank Johnson already warned us that the island of Guam could tip over and capsize if too many people live on one side. This could happen here. Since the O-admin is taking over just about everything, i’d like to offer a new govt initiative – force all fat people to move to Kansas so the US doesn’t tip over and capsize.

It has to do with sex. Thin women are attractive and that is given a premium. Low-end fast food restaurants are staffed mostly by heavier women than higher-end restaurants. This is just one example. As far as men are concerned, the heavier men are probably considered less threatening when competing for the attractive women. These kind of hiring practices may be done unconsciously.

That’s not entirely accurate. The incompetent failure leading our country has an entire army of clueless and bigotted idiots whom he is successfully leading off a cliff. It is gobsmackingly beautiful to watch.

This can be explained pretty easily. Thin women have high testosterone. Testosterone is the sex drive/aggression hormone. Basically, they’re dudes with breasts, etc…

Big men are intimidating to smaller men and they have probably always been big. So they are not only intimidating but they are used to getting their way. Both these factors lead to them getting what they want.

Perhaps men who don’t spend as much time keeping super fit but are not obese make more because they are working a lot instead of exercising all the time.

I’d be willing to bet attractive women tend to get a lot more help and attention and hence more opportunities. Also remember that rich men almost always marry attractive women, thereby having more attractive baby girls, and when they grow up they will have more opportunities because of the financial resources available to them.

We all know good looking women earn more money and in this society, thinner women are generally considered better looking. Heavier men in the working force are often so because they are entertaining clients eating lunch and dinner out. Also those that can afford to eat out generally make more money so it could be that making more money leads to chubbiness, not the other way around.

Well, we’re all eating the same food, smart guy. I’m not obese, or even close, and I put down about 6,000 Cals a day. Of course, I hike and exercise and get out of my easy chair every now and then. Turn your TV off for a month, watch the pounds fall off.

Maybe it’s because men get heavier as they get older, and also make more as they get older? At the same time as women get older/heavier they tend to downshift a bit, especially if they have husbands who are making plenty.

MFMike, this was exactly what I was thinking. I don’t think this survey unveils anything groundbreaking. If they tested men on the basis of age, they’d find the same result. For the ladies, well we all know that if you’re hefty, not many suitors asking you to the corporate prom….. (says a dude with a sizable one pack)

Amme25 is right. Aside from careless eating and stuff. I think chemicals in food play a big role on our bodies. Lately I’ve been noticing men with man boobs even though they are skinny they seem to be producing a little something up top. Whats up with that.

Or maybe they never became fat in the first place. After all, food that fights fat development is cheaper than food that makes one fat. I’m talking veggies and lean meat here. If your theory were correct, you would see a lot of sucessful, fat women who had were only beginning to lose weight but still look fat to everyone. Where are these women?

The problem with unions is they force employers to pay more than the market rate for labor. A union is a labor cartel. If materials suppliers tried to do what unions do they would be prosecuted by the justice department. Unions serve only 1 group of people today in America, union bosses.

Okay, enough one upping each other.
This can also be a chicken or the egg related issue.
Are the people fat because of their personalities and lifestyles which then affect how aggressive they may be in preparing for and going after higher pay? Are thinner women seen/tend to be more aggressive in the general work place? In order to be in higher paid positions did they need to attain a certain look to fit in to begin with? Bigger guys are often seen as being in control and forces to be reckoned with.
Come on. One thing does not automatically lead to the other. What’s the cause, environment and effect being studied here?

@Hayden & Bob – I personally do not take offense in your comments regarding my grammar at all. I don’t deny that at times, when I type, I don’t review what I write, but when it comes to cover letters or even resumes or even company emails, I make sure that I do review what I write or if I am unsure, I have people proof read what I write before I even consider handing them in. thanks🙂

“I don’t deny that at times, when I type, I don’t review what I write, but when it comes to cover letters or even resumes or even company emails, I make sure that I do review what I write or if I am unsure, I have people proof read what I write before I even consider handing them in.” – Run-on sentence
“proofread”, not “proof read”

Absolutely! I interviewed for a seasonal position at Fed Ex loading/unloading trucks one year. Although I was 6’2″, 375 lbs, I was healthy with normal cholesterol, BP, heart rate. I was able to lift 100+ lbs. I had experience. I answered all questions correctly and aced the interview. But I could see it in his eyes that he thought I was wasting his time because I was so heavy.

Fatter men earn more because they were earning more to begin with. I don’t believe that this study is proven true. these days its who you know, not what you know. i am not obese nor am i fat and yet i am making minimum wage, with a College degree too! this is rediculous.

This is getting ridiculous. It was neither spelled “wrong”, nor “incorrectly”. Everyone can plainly see that it was spelled “rediculous”. Now can we dsicuss the other benefits of being obese or anorexic ?

Wow, all you guys need to grow up. The person already acknowledged that they spelled it wrong. These things do happen. Heck, I do that sometimes when i type fast; yet instead of having something more constructive to say about the article. You pick on them over and over again.

Wow with all do respect FORGET the job market BS. Consider some kind of cleaning business . I make 35 to 60 an hour NO boss NO job and practically NO accounts receivable.. I was an engineer and replaced my income in 2 months if you choose to work for yourself as hard as you do for some one else you will be free.

Perhaps, if you were not competing against so many illegals (for a job) you could make a decent living…. or maybe you can’t find a decent job because so many older people have been forced back into the workforce (since their life’s savings has been destroyed) by obama’s thrid world banana republic marxist/fascist economics

I’m sorry, competing against illegals? Illegals taking good American jobs and living a decent life? Unless you want to work in an Italian restaurant, cleaning hotel rooms, or sweating in a field, you shouldn’t have to worry about illegal competition. Oh, and let’s not blame business owners for hiring them. Just don’t ask questions, we need to maximize profits. This is a free market after all!

Your degree is probably in communications, massage therapy, general studies or something equally worthless. Go get a real degree in something that will make you more employable. You are not guaranteed a better job just by getting a piece of paper that says you went to college. For profit schools like Kaplan College and Devry are notorious for handing out “college diplomas” in worthless areas leaving their students very few options to actually get a job.

Maybe if you could spell and use apostrophes correctly – with your college degree too! – you would get paid more than minimum wage. Your resume would be thrown directly into the trash if I received it.